Concrete answers to achieving energy savings

The European Concrete Platform (ECP) was also involved during the EU’s Sustainable Energy Week, highlighting numerous sustainable advantages of concrete as a building material. The ECP - a non-profit association of which CEMBUREAU is a member - used a session on energy-efficient buildings to demonstrate that concrete buildings and infrastructure works can contribute towards achieving the EU energy and CO² saving targets. When assessed over the whole life cycle of a building, concrete outperforms all other primary construction materials in terms of energy efficiency. The thermal inertia of concrete allows it to absorb and store surplus heat or cold, and release these back to the ambient air (heat in winter and coolness in summer). This can reduce heating energy consumption by 2-15% and reduce energy use for cooling by up to 50% when combined with natural ventilation.

For more information visit: www.europeanconcrete.eu